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Bay Delta Conservation Plan (Oct 23, 2013)

The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a critical link in the state's water supply system, and home to one of California's most important ecosystems. More than 25 million Californians and three million acres of farmland rely on water that moves through the Delta.

Currently, this vital water supply is ushered through by 100-year-old, fragile levees that are vulnerable to collapse in the event of a major earthquake. If such an event were to occur, saltwater could contaminate freshwater in the Delta, and a critical source of water could be unavailable for a year or longer for 2-out-of-3 Californians.

Investments in our state's water infrastructure are critical for continued water supply reliability. For seven years, state and federal agencies have been developing a long-term plan to make these important investments in our statewide water system to avoid outages and restore the Delta ecosystem.

The effort, known as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), is being crafted to protect water supplies from the impacts of a major earthquake, while simultaneously restoring the Delta's struggling ecosystem. At the heart of the BDCP is a new water conveyance system that would move a portion of water underneath rather than through the fragile Delta. This, coupled with extensive environmental restoration, would establish at least 50 years of water supply reliability and restored habitat. The plan is nearing completion, and we urge you to learn more about this important project.

For more information about the BDCP, please visit the below resources: